


Polaroid

by SincerelyStarCadet



Category: Death Note & Related Fandoms, Death Note (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Mattello, MelloDramatic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-11 08:00:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28348041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SincerelyStarCadet/pseuds/SincerelyStarCadet
Summary: Living in a small apartment during the Kira case, Matt and Mello balance a domestic setting with a stressful work life, but will it easily fall apart when Matt brings out his old camera?
Relationships: Matt | Mail Jeevas & Mello | Mihael Keehl, Matt | Mail Jeevas/Mello | Mihael Keehl
Comments: 6
Kudos: 25





	Polaroid

Matt peaked his head over the edge of the couch, a tall figure looming over the sleeping blonde. He grinned to himself, positioning the polaroid camera in just the right spot to capture the teen perfectly. He quickly, yet carefully, brushed the younger boy’s hair away to reveal Mello’s sleeping face.

Mello’s normal “serious anger face,” as Matt had called it, was replaced with one of peaceful rest as Mello slept soundly. It was a rare sight to see Mello as anything other than scowling, and Matt was going to exploit every second of it. 

I’ve got you now… Matt thought to himself as he smirked, clicking the gray polaroid’s circular button. A loud shutter and a flash emitted from the camera, Matt ducking behind the couch as Mello shifted from the sudden disturbance. 

“The fuck-” Mello muttered to himself, rubbing his eyes in annoyance. He glanced over at the table and glossed over his untouched paperwork, his laptop screen now dark due to inactivity. Mello groaned. He had fallen asleep in the middle of work again. The insomniac was annoyed with his lack of productivity. He guessed that stress must’ve been causing him to be more tired than normal. 

Mello stood up, whining a little as his joints cracked in protest. “Jesus mother of- MATT! Matt, I want a massage! Come give me your fucking love!” 

At no response, Mello huffed, slamming his laptop shut in annoyance. Kira’s going to be the death of me. Not him directly, just all this fucking stress. Mello grimaced, cracking his knuckles and shutting his eyes tight. Between heading a takedown of Kira and managing the mafia, Mello was also balancing his persistent goal of beating Near. It was more than just a rivalry to him now, and years outside of Whammy’s had hardened him even further than when L was around. 

Mello pinched the bridge of his nose as his eyes shot open once again upon hearing scattered laughter. He moved around the side of the couch and scowled when he saw Matt there on the floor, who promptly burst into a fit of muffled giggles. 

Matt blinked up at Mello, sending him a wave and a small, “Hi.”

Mello glared, looking down at the red head and hiding his sudden happiness at seeing him. “Hi?? Fucking Hi? You woke me up from my nap you piece of shit!” Mello spouted, proceeding to teasingly kick and prod Matt’s upper torso with his foot. 

Matt giggled as he pushed Mello’s foot away. “Gross!! Smelly leather boot feet!” he said, squirming around on the floor as Mello continued. 

The blonde grinned to himself, “You woke me up, now you get the foot. You know the fucking rules!!” 

“Nooooo!! Not the rules!” Matt laughed, collecting himself with a few stray giggles before he stood up to plant a kiss on Mello’s cheek. “There, I gave you a kiss so now we’re even,” he said with a lopsided grin, planting a second kiss on Mello’s nose.

Mello rolled his eyes. “We are not fucking even dumbass. I haven’t slept in fucking forever and you decided that today of all days was a good day to wake me up with a- Actually, what in the hell did you wake me up with?”

Matt instantly paled, as he knew Mello’s stance on photographs. Scrambling for an excuse, he hummed and said, “Oh um.. A flashlight? Yep! A flashlight!”

Mello stared at him with narrowed eyes, waiting a few moments before deciding on his response to the obvious bluff. “Hey Matty?”

“Yeah?” Matt answered, completely oblivious to Mello’s obvious knowledge that he was lying. 

“On a scale of 1 to 10 how fucking gulliable do you think I am?”

Matt hummed, actually taking time to think about the question. “3! Wait no- 3.5. Wait, is this a trick question?”

Mello sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I was being sarcastic, Mail. Sarcastic. Now, you have two seconds to confess to what you did, because I think I already fucking know.”

Matt frowned, floundering for an excuse as he opened his mouth to spout one out, shutting it once again. He sighed before reaching under the couch, pulling out the gray polaroid camera and newly printed picture of a sleeping Mello. 

The lighting of the picture had come out a little off, but Matt loved it regardless. Mello was curled up on the couch with just the right amount of hair left astray on his face. His back was to the couch pillows and his arms hung at his front, one slightly off the couch and another resting below his chin. The picture failed to capture the light drool that had pooled from Mello’s open mouth, but nevertheless it was something Matt would treasure. 

Mello sighed. “Mail…”

“Look!” Matt interjected rapidly. “Before you say anything… I know your stance on this type of thing.. A-and how you worry it’ll compromise us and Kira and all that shit and everything but if I kept it safe.. and he doesn't know your real name.. there’s no harm! Right?” Matt looked hopefully at Mello, smiling just a little to try and convince him. 

Jesus Christ he’s like a kicked puppy, Mello thought to himself, almost softening before shaking his head and scowling. He knew what he had to do, and hardened himself for it.

“You know I can’t let you keep that Mail and you know why. It’s dangerous, and it would be flat out fucking stupid to keep that photo when all Kira needs is a face and a name. Just forget about it and give me the damn photo. I've got to burn it,” Mello said straight faced, holding out his hand expectantly. 

Matt gasped a little dramatically, drawing the picture and camera closer to his chest. “Burn it?? Mihael, it’s just a photo! No one knows our names and we stay away from everyone anyway! Please let me keep it. There’s no reason not to!”

Mello waved his hand dismissively and scoffed to himself. “Yes, burn it. It’s a stupid photo Matty. You see my face everyday. There’s no fucking need and its dangerous.” 

He sighed when Matt just stared at him, clutching the photo tight to himself in a refusal to do so. 

“Okay, hand it over Matt. I’m serious. If you don’t I’ll just have to take it from you, which neither of us are going to enjoy,” he said, putting his hand out one more time. 

Matt took one step back and frowned, knowing that if Mello managed to pin him down it wouldn’t end well for him. He really didn’t want the photo to be taken, and he knew that Mello wouldn’t hesitate to take it away once he had it in his possession. 

“Mail,” Mello said with warning and glared at Matt as the red-head took another step back. 

Matt made a dash for the stairs, not content on having the photo taken. He quickly maneuvered around Mello, catching himself from almost slipping on the wooden-panelled floor. Matt grabbed a pillow off the couch, tossing it at Mello blindly and hoping that it would slow him down, as he knew the blonde was surely on his tail. 

Taking one sole step on the stairs, Matt was yanked from behind by an unseen force and slipped, landing on his behind. A black sock pinned down his chest, keeping him on the floor as his now very pissed off boyfriend stood overtop and glared down at him. 

Matt blinked up at him with a sheepish grin. “Um.. Hi?”

Mello sighed exasperatedly, unable to get truly aggressive just yet at someone he found so adorable. Not that he’d tell Matt that of course. “Hi, Dummy. Time to give it up.”

Matt wiggled around and pulled at Mello’s foot to try and get it off of him. He even resorted to tickling him, the result only a more annoyed Mello. 

Icy blue eyes glared at Matt, but softened slightly, Mello still in control of his temper. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Matty please don’t make this any more difficult. I told you no pictures.”

Matt frowned, holding the picture and polaroid camera close as Mello leaned down to try and snatch it. “Matty!” Mello barked, annoyed as his freckled boyfriend wiggled even more to try and make strides to escape. 

After about three minutes of Matt’s silence and enough struggling to get on anyone’s nerves, Mello had had enough. He leaned down with a growl, forcefully taking the photo from Matt’s desperate clutch. He marched over to the trash can before doing a double take and opening a kitchen drawer. 

The drawer’s contents moved about with the sheer force of being yanked open, loud noises of clashing silverware present. Matt’s heart dropped when he saw what Mello had pulled out of the drawer. 

“Mells! Wait wait wait! Come on Mihael!.. T-that’s still a little drastic..-”

“Are there more?” Mello interjected, ignoring Matt’s pleas as he struck up a match.

Matt’s face fell. Of course there were more. He treasured them and kept them under the bed, having hid them from Mello for this exact scenario not to play out. 

“I-” 

“Go get them.”

“Mihael!-”

“Mail!” Mello yelled, glowering over at Matt as he visibly drew back at Mello’s authoritative command. “Please don’t make this difficult. I have to burn whatever photos you have and I obviously have to trash the fucking camera.. I just-.. You’re too fucking sentimental. You can’t grasp how serious of a fucking situation this is Matty,” Mello huffed, unknowingly gripping the photo in his hand so tight that it was starting to crumple. He was getting really frustrated, irked that Matt couldn’t seem to realize he was doing this for their own protection. “If Kira knows our faces, he can get our names, and then boom- It’s all fucking over. I’m dead, you’re dead, and Near fucking wins. You want that? In fact, our deaths might even lead Kira to finding out Near’s name too. So, yeah, Near’s dead too. That means no more L and Kira rules over the whole goddamn world. You want that??”

Matt blinked at Mello blanky, unsure of what to say or do. He knew Mello was right, but hated it. He hated their situation. He hated the lives they led. He hated the things Mello got himself involved in. And more times than not he hated being L’s successor. After all, third in line was a joke behind two geniuses. 

Hell, Matt even hated himself on more than one occasion. It was too easy. After all, he spent his whole life in third place, and that wasn’t just as L’s successor; he figured it was in everyone’s minds too. 

The one thing Matt could never seem to hate was Mello. Even as Mello stood there, angrily screaming at him about his camera, he knew that it was because Mello cared about him. It was for his own protection, even if he hated it. Matt always held on to the one thing Mello had told him when they were much younger and still at Whammy’s: He was the only thing Mello would ever truly care about. 

Before Matt even registered what had happened, Mello set the picture alight. 

Mello stared coldly at the picture as it rested in the sink, burning. He watched as the flames curled around the edges of the photo, blackening out the couch and Mello’s legs, creeping their way slowly to his face. The flame rested over it before charring, leaving nothing but black. 

Mello shivered, beside himself. He prayed that it wasn't an augury. 

He finished the job by taking the camera apart with a screwdriver, tossing it in the trash without a second thought. When he finally looked up, he caught sight of Matt’s face, now stained with tears, and instantly knew he had taken it too far. 

He bit his lip. “Mail.. I’m-”

“L gave me that camera.” 

Mello blinked at him, visibly confused. “What?” L seemed like the last person to encourage picture taking, especially at the purposefully hidden Wammy's house.

Matt sniffed and wiped at his eyes vigorously. “I said, L g-gave me that camera. For my ninth birthday. It was a ‘secret’ birthday present. H-he said I had to keep it to myself.. A-and he only gave it to me because it didn’t leave a digital footprint,” he said, as he collapsed defeatedly on the couch. 

Mello frowned, chewing on his lip to try and bite down the guilt. He hesitated for a moment, and sat down next to Matt, watching the tears fall. 

Before Mello could speak, Matt sighed, wringing his hands together anxiously. “T-the other photos.. They’re under my bed. O-one of Near reading… y-you studying.. us together.. a-and L gardening. If you really have to get rid of them.. t-then fine. I just… do it where I can’t see it.” He sniffed, wiping at his eyes. 

For once, Mello was speechless. He never knew that Matt had those photos, let alone that he had kept them. 

The pure surrendered despair visible on Matt’s face was enough to break anyone’s heart, even Mello’s sheltered one. He knew better than anyone that there wasn’t much left in life for either of them, especially after L had died. They really only had each other, and both teens had a silent notion that they were needed by the other. If Matt had kept these photographs, through constant moving around and L’s death, they were something truly important to him. 

Mello bit his lip. He was cruel and he knew it. Unfeeling at times and quick to anger, he knew he had hurt Matt many times before. Matt knew it too, and yet he stayed due to that silent notion.

“Fuck,” Mello said aloud, standing up once again. “Jesus- mother fucking- god damnit- FINE!”

Matt sniffed, looking up at Mello in snot-faced confusion. “W-what? I-I told you w-where they were..” 

Mello shook his head, pulling at his own hair slightly. “You can.. fuck.. keep the damn photos. But we’re fucking burying them until this Kira mess blows over you hear me??”

Matt stared at him in disbelief, he couldn’t believe that Mello had actually come around on a matter like this. 

Mello sighed and gave Matt a nod, an affirmation his word was true. “I’ll hide them.. But I can’t fucking tell you where just in case. That okay?”

Matt immediately jumped up and beamed at Mello, gripping on to him in excitement. “Y-you mean it?? Really? I-I can keep them!?”

Mello laughed at Matt’s over excitement and couldn’t help but smirk. “Yes doofus. I.. I took it too fucking far and I’m sorry, k?” 

Matt grinned goofily and nodded, hugging on to Mello happily. “Thank you..” he murmured quietly, his face buried in Mello’s chest. 

It broke his heart to see Matt so excited over the prospect of keeping photos, something that would be so normal in other’s lives. Mello smiled sadly and pressed his cheek to Matt’s wild red hair. He kissed the top of his head softly. “I’ll get you a new camera too… as many damn cameras as you want..”

____________________________________________________________________________

Nate River stood by himself under a tree at an undisclosed location, not far from the false grave of L that the Kira Task Force had constructed.

In his hand he held four polaroid photographs. 

Pocketing the sole photo of himself, he stared almost longingly with glossed over eyes at the pictures of the dead, and smiled.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed this little one-shot. As always let me know any thoughts you had below. Comments and Kudos are always immensely appreciated! :)


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